The invention relates generally to a computer system comprised of a computing system and a human interface and, more particularly, to a computer system having a single cable coupling the computing system and a video monitor configured to serve as an interface between the computing system and the remaining devices forming part of the human interface.
The components of all computer systems, including personal computers (or xe2x80x9cPCSxe2x80x9d), minicomputers and mainframes, may be divided into two functional unitsxe2x80x94the computing system and the human interface to the computing system. For a PC, the computing system is, very simply, the chassis which holds the processor subsystem (typically, a microprocessor residing on a processor board commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cmotherboardxe2x80x9d), power supply, hard drive and the like. The human interface, on the other hand, are those devices that humans used to transfer information to and/or receive information from the computing system. The most commonly recognized devices which form part of the human interface with the computing system include the monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer. Of course, a variety of other devices, for example, a speaker system, joystick, trackball, touchpad or others too numerous to specifically mention, may form part of the human interface. Finally, while not traditionally viewed as a device which serves as a human interface to a computing system, the convergence of telephony and computing technologies has led to a variety of applications where it has proven useful for using the computing system as an interface between a telecommunications terminal, for example, a telephone, and a telecommunications network such as the public switched telephone network (or xe2x80x9cPSTNxe2x80x9d).
In conventionally configured computer systems, multiple cables, one for each device forming part of the human interface, are used to couple the computing system and the human interface. Typically, there are four distinct and separate cablesxe2x80x94the monitor cable, the keyboard cable, the mouse cable and the printer cablexe2x80x94required to connect the human interface devices to the computing system. Each of the cables is a different style and has a different stiffness. Furthermore, each cable typically has a different length as well. As a result, attaching the cables between the human interface and the computing system represents a complex routing and connection activity. Oftentimes, the length of the shortest cable restricts convenient placement of the computing system with respect to the various devices which collectively comprise the human interface.
In the past, restrictions in the placement of the various ones of the devices which form part of the human interface have been addressed by simply lengthening the cable thereof. This solution both ignores the problem and degrades performance. Increasing the length of the cable does deal with the distance issues at the cost of degrading performance. Specifically, the combination of additional connectors and increased cable loading affects the performance of the individual cables and respective electrical signals. There are, though, several cables, each of a different diameter and stiffness, all of which contribute to the overall complexity of the installation.
While not believed to be prior art to the present application, a universal serial bus (or xe2x80x9cUSBxe2x80x9d) architectural configuration for a desktop computer environment was disclosed in Universal Serial Bus Specification, revision 1.1, page 23 (Sep. 23, 1998). The disclosed architectural configuration includes a PC operating as a host/hub, a telephone function and a monitor hub/function coupled to the PC, microphone and speaker functions and a keyboard host/function coupled to the monitor hub/function and mouse and pen functions coupled to the keyboard hub/function. To have a combination of a hub/function and one or more functions coupled thereto, the monitor hub/function must be equipped with a variety of USB control circuitry, including a USB host controller capable of controlling 12 Mbs serial data transfers using a USB protocol which involves the transfer of data packets having endpoint addresses which identify the destination of the data packets transferred over a single twisted-par of wires and a hub repeater for propagating data packets destined to functions coupled to other hubs or hub/functions. Thus, the disclosed desktop configuration requires a variety of the devices, including the monitor and keyboard, to be equipped with sophisticated USB control circuitry. Furthermore, due to technical limitations, data transmissions using USB cables are limited to lengths of about 16 feet without the use of additional hubs or about 99 feet if 5 USB hubs are connected in series.
It is, therefore, the purpose of the invention to reduce and simplify the cabling and associated interconnection interface between a computing system, whether PC, mini or mainframe, and an associated human interface, typically, a keyboard, mouse, printer, telephone, speaker system and video monitor.
In one embodiment, the present invention is of a computer comprised of a computing system and a human interface for the computing system. A first cable couples the computing system to a video monitor of the human interface and a second cable couples the video monitor to a first I/O device of the human interface. The computing system propagates data for the first I/O device to the video monitor over the first cable and the video monitor propagates the data for the first I/O device, received over the first cable, to the first I/O device over the second cable. In one aspect thereof, the computer further includes a first interface board having a combine circuit, at least two lines connected to the computing system and at least one line connected to the first cable. The first interface board receives a video signal from the computing system over a first one of the lines and receives a data signal from the computing system over a second one of the lines. The combine circuit combines the received video and data signals to produce a combined video/data signal. The combined video/data signal is propagated to the video monitor over the first cable. In another aspect thereof, the video monitor further includes a display circuit and a second interface board having a separator circuit, at least one line connected to the first cable, at least one line connected to the display circuit and at least one line connected to the second cable. The second interface board receives the combined video/data signal from the first interface board over the first cable. There, the separator circuit separates the combined video/data signal into the video signal and the data signal. The video signal is then propagated to the display circuit while the data signal is propagated to the first I/O device over the second cable.
In further aspects thereof, the human interface further includes a second I/O device. A third cable couples the second I/O device to the video monitor. In this aspect, the first interface board includes a combining circuit which combines first and second data signals received from said computing system into a combined data signal and a second combining circuit which combines the combined data signal and the video signal into a combined video data signal for propagation to the video monitor over the first cable. The second interface board may include a first separator circuit which separates the received combined video/data signal into the video and combined data signals and a second separator circuit which separates the combined data signal into the first and second data signals. The video signal is propagated to a display circuit of the video monitor, the first data signal is propagated from the video monitor to the first I/O device over the second cable and the second data signal is propagated from the video monitor to the second I/O device over the third cable.
In another embodiment, the present invention is of a computer comprised of a computer chassis, a computing system supportably mounted within the computer chassis, a video monitor chassis, a video display system supportably mounted within the video monitor chassis, a keyboard and a mouse. A first cable connects an access port on an exterior side surface of the computer chassis to a first access port on an exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis. A second cable connects a second access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis to the keyboard and a third cable connects a third access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor to the mouse. The computing system and the keyboard exchange keyboard data via the first access port on the exterior side surface of the computer chassis, the first cable, the first access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis, the video display system, the second access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis and the second cable. The computing system and the mouse exchange mouse data via the first access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis, the first cable, the first access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis, the video display system, the third access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis and the third cable.
In accordance with various further aspects of this embodiment of the invention, the computer may include a printer, speaker system, telephone and USB device. A fourth cable would connect a fourth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor system to the printer; a fifth cable would connect a fifth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor to the speaker system, a sixth cable would connect a sixth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor to the telephone; and a seventh cable would connect a seventh access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor to the USB device. The computing system would exchange printer data with the printer via the first cable, the video display system and the fourth cable, speaker data with the speakers via the first cable, the video display system and the fifth cable, telephone data with the telephone via the first cable, the video display system and the sixth cable and USB data with the USB device via the first cable, the video display system and the seventh cable.
In accordance with an alternate aspect of this embodiment of the invention, the computer includes a first interface board, supportably mounted within the computer chassis, for combining video and data signals generated by the computing system and propagated to the first interface board along a first input/output line thereof into a combined video/data signal for propagation to the video display system via a second input/output line thereof, the access port on the exterior side surface of the computer chassis, the first cable and the first access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis. In a further aspect of this embodiment of the invention, the video display system includes video display circuitry and a second interface board, both of which are supportably mounted within the video monitor chassis. The second interface board separates the combined video/data signal received via a first input/output line thereof into a video signal for propagation to the video display circuitry via an output line, keyboard data for propagation to the keyboard via a second input/output line, the second access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis and the second cable, and mouse data for propagation to the mouse via a third input/output line, the third access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis and the third cable.
In accordance with various further aspects of this alternate aspect of this embodiment of the invention, the computer may again include a printer, speaker system, telephone and USB device. A fourth cable would connect a fourth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis to the printer; a fifth cable would connect a fifth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis to the speaker system, a sixth cable would connect a sixth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis to the telephone and a seventh cable would connect a seventh access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis to the USB device. The second interface board would separate printer data from the combined video/data signal for propagation to the printer via a fourth output line of the interface board, the fourth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis and the fourth cable; would separate speaker data from the combined video/data signal for propagation to the speaker system via a fifth output line of the interface board, the fifth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis and the fifth cable; would separate telephone data from the combined video/data signal data for propagation to the telephone via a sixth output line of the interface board, the sixth access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis and the sixth cable; and would separate USB data from the combined video/data signal for propagation to the USB device via a seventh output line of the interface board, the seventh access port on the exterior side surface of the video monitor chassis and the seventh cable.